Stalker
The Stalker, also known as Mortal Hunter, Omnihunter, and Reaping Shade, is a dangerous, recurring FOE present in all four games. It is a giant carnivorous mantis with a thick exoskeleton, huge spikes protruding from their extremities, and massive scythe-like forelegs sharp enough to decapitate with a single swing. They also have two smaller, multi-bladed scythes as pseudowings on their backs (their conditional drops). It is unknown if they actually use these in combat. These grotesque insects have absolutely no qualms in having humans as part of their regular diet. In the first two games they are the very first red FOEs introduced, and the player is strongly advised to avoid engaging them at all costs as their level is way above-average for even normal FOEs present. Stalker (Etrian Odyssey) Stalkers are first encountered on B3F of Emerald Grove as soon as you exit the stairs. It is the first red FOE encountered in the game and will actively chase you as long as you remain on its territory. However, it has to stop once every 3 steps to check on your position, so it can be evaded if you time your maneuvers well. The items they drop and the experience they give are quite good for an early-game monster, but their level is way higher than even normal FOEs of the stratum, hitting hard and enduring lots of punishment, so you are advised to avoid them at all costs until you can dispatch normal FOEs with ease. Skills * Scythe (Uses Arms): Deals damage to a single party member. Drops * Scythe (Worth: 900 en) * Harvester (Conditional)' '(Worth: 1100 en) Conditional Drop * In order to get the Stalker's conditional drop, the Harvester, you must kill it in one turn. Related Monsters *Mantis Stalker (Etrian Odyssey II) The Stalker, once again, is the first red FOEs the player has to face shortly after reaching 3F of the Ancient Forest. Its modus operandi, both within the labyrinth and in-battle is pretty much the same as before. However, like all FOEs in Etrian Odyssey II, Stalkers don't give any EXP points. Stalkers have very high health with regards to the strata they are found in, so a battle of attrition is advised to slowly wear them down. They will only go for the face: Either attacking normally or using their skills, Amputate and Scythe, which both don't serve any purpose besides dealing more damage. Bind their arms or have a Protector provoke the Stalker and absorb its attacks. Even if the Protector dies, it is better to have the Stalker focus its attacks on a party member with high defense while you attack it with your powerful characters. Binding the Stalker's arms or poisoning it are good tactics. Skills * Amputate (Uses Arms): Deals damage to a single party member. * Scythe (Uses Arms): Deals damage to a single party member and splashes to neighboring party members. Drops * Scythe (Worth: 389 en) * Harvester (Conditional)' '(Worth: 1280 en) Conditional Drop * To get its conditional drop, the Harvester, you must kill it in the first turn of combat. Mortal Hunter (Etrian Odyssey III) Now known as Mortal Hunters, they are deadlier than ever before. Their movements within their territories remain the same. However, being a FOE of the 5th stratum, they are truly fearsome in battle. They can take a lot of punishment and now their Amputate skill has a high chance to deliver a fatal strike. Skills * Amputate (Uses Arms): Deals damage to a single party member, addtionally has the chance to instant kill the target. * Scythe Dance (Uses Arms): Hits up to 5 targets for moderate damage. Drops * Soft Scythe (Worth: 1760 en) * Flower Scythe (Conditional)' '(Worth: 2500 en) Conditional Drop * To get its conditional drop, Flower Scythe, you must kill Mortal Hunter on the first turn of combat. Omnihunter (Etrian Odyssey IV) Omnihunters appear in the Scarlet Pillars, on medium altitude. They patrol a set area, and immediately become hostile if the player enters any part of it. They don't move off their path that much, but since they move 2 squares a turn, it can be hard to avoid them. Fortunately, they can be distracted with poultry or fish. Feeding them the Dragon Carp (from the Cloudy Stronghold) will turn them into a rare breed. Should the party be caught fighting one, binding their arms will shut them down. Skills * Amputate (Uses Arms): Deals Cut damage to a single party member, may instantly kill the target. * Scythe Dance (Uses Arms): Causes 2-5 random Cut attacks across the entire party. Drops * Soft Sickle (Worth: 1166 en) Conditional Drop * None Related Monsters * Icy Pincer * Death Mantis Reaping Shade (Etrian Odyssey Untold) Reaping Shades are first encountered on B3F of Emerald Grove as soon as you exit the stairs. It is the first red FOE encountered in the game and will actively chase you as long as you remain on its territory. However, like in Etrian Odyssey, it has to stop once every 3 steps to check on your position, so it can be evaded if you time your maneuvers well. A good strategy for weaker parties is to bind its arms so it cannot attack. Skills * Scythe Slash (Uses Arms): Deals damage to a row of party members. Drops * Scythe (Worth: 180 en) * Tied Scythe (Conditional) (Worth: 490 en) Conditional Drop * In order to get the Reaping Shade's conditional drop, the Tied Scythe, it must be defeated while its arms are bound. Related Monsters * Death Mantis * Ice Claws * Bloody One-Arm Indignant Mantis (Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold) The Indignant Mantis is a bonus enemy encountered during the quest 'Law and order'. After the party has vanquished the Livid Butcher on 1F, the thief runs upstairs to 2F to find more monsters to summon, only to be attacked by the Indignant Mantis. The player has this opportunity to pursue the thief to 2F and face off with this monster, or return to town and complete the quest. Going to other floors of the dungeon will also force the player to miss this opportunity to fight. Should the player trump the Indignant Mantis, High Lagaard's guards arrive to arrest the thief and allow justice to be brought. As there is a bounty on his head, the player receives an additional quest reward of 30,000 en when they complete the quest. The party might be slightly worn down after fighting through the Brainwashed Workers and the Livid Butcher without any chance to rest. Be sure to be well-supplied before commencing the quest. Bind the Mantis' arms, or inflict Blind on it to make the fight easier and reduce the incoming damage from a Charged Execution Scythe. Skills *'Charge' (Uses Head): Doubles the strength of the next attack. *'Scythe Slash' (Uses Arms): Deals Cut damage to one line pf party members. *'Execution Scythe' (Uses Arms): Deals Cut damage to a single target, may instantly kill said target. Indignant Mantis (Etrian Odyssey Nexus) The Indignant Mantis is an FOE found in the Yggdrasil Labyrinth of Nexus, starting from B2F. The Mantis is normally docile, but when the player steps within 2 tiles of it, it turns aggressive and begins pursuit. Its pathfinding is very simplistic, preferring to move in a straight line towards the party, but this also makes it very easy to corner or block the Mantis on various environmental elements. The Mantis cannot ascend to higher ground, so careful manipulation of pressure plates in the dungeon is key to solving several puzzles involving it. If it loses sight of the player, it ceases pursuit and returns to its initial position. In-battle, the Indignant Mantis is prone to using Charge followed by Scythe Slash to do massive cut damage across the entire party. On odd turns it may also use Slash Rampage as a random-hit skill. Generally, its main offense is arm-reliant, so a simple arm bind will shut it down. Skills *'Scythe Slash' (Uses Arms): Deals Cut damage to the entire party. *'Slash Rampage' (Uses Arms): Causes 4-6 random melee Cut attacks across the entire party. *'Charge' (Uses Head): Increases the strength of its next attack. Drops *'Soft Sickle' (Worth: ??? en) Conditional Drops * ??? Trivia *Real-life mantises, unlike their game counterparts, are ambush predators; they use their spiked scythe-like forelegs to capture their prey rather than decapitate them. However, they are famous for often eating their game heads first, a destiny that even their mates may not escape. 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